Treating Ear Infections: Controversy and a Natural Alternative

Pediatricians diagnose approximately 10 million cases of ear infections in their offices every year . In fact, middle ear infections are the most common reason for a trip to see the pediatrician.

Controversy surrounds the "right" way to treat middle ear infections, so more and more parents are seeking a natural approach.

While the standard treatment for ear infections used to be a 10-day course of antibiotics, this no longer is the case. Some doctors have adopted a “cautiously optimistic” attitude that ear infections will generally resolve on their own, without pharmaceutical intervention, while others base their ear infection treatment recommendations and decisions on the child’s age. And, even then, they need to factor in the number of recurrences they’ll see before they propose a surgical solution.

Fortunately, many parents don’t rely on any of these somewhat subjective treatments for ear infections because they have discovered a natural solution that, in most cases, has greatly reduced or even eliminated ear infections in their children. Now you can discover it too!

Treating Ear Infections: Let’s Look at the Probable Cause

The eustachian tube connects the nose and the back of the throat to the middle ear, the space between the outer and inner ear.

When the eustachian tube becomes clogged (usually when your child has a cold, allergies or nasal congestion), it fails to properly drain fluid from the middle ear. This fluid backs up behind your child’s eardrum and it can become infected, causing pain and pressure. Sometimes the pressure is so intense, the eardrum ruptures, and while this may sound serious, it isn’t. It’s just nature’s way of relieving the pressure.

Just remember, ear infections aren’t contagious (you can’t “give” someone an ear infection) and they’re not dangerous. However, they are painful, uncomfortable and sleep depriving – for parents as well as their children.

There are numerous treatments for ear infections, ranging from home remedies to surgery, with drug therapy in between. There’s also a totally safe and gentle solution, that’s both totally natural and effective!

Treating Ear Infections the Way Grandma Did

Did you ever notice how many “home remedies” your own mother used? Most likely, her mother and her mother before that passed them down! No one in the family can remember who started whatever home remedy is used for a condition, but…they all swear it’s been working for years.

Although these treatments for ear infections may get you through the night, they aren’t a permanent “fix” for your child’s ear pain or infection.

Treating Ear Infections with Antibiotic Therapy

Years ago, you walked into a pediatrician’s office with a red, fluid-filled middle ear (it didn’t even matter if it was infected) and you routinely walked out of the pediatrician’s office with a prescription for that “pink, bubble-gum-tasting” medicine. Even if the middle ear was only full of fluid, the doctor argued that an antibiotic would prevent the ear from becoming infected.

Times have changed, and several studies reported that 80% of children with acute middle ear infections get better without antibiotic intervention!

So…the majority of pediatricians have adopted a “wait-and-see” attitude in terms of treating ear infections because they fear the emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria that could result from overuse of antibiotics in children.

Many doctors follow the American Academy of Pediatrics’ (AAP) guidelines for using antibiotic therapy for treating ear infections, as follows:

If the child is younger than 6 months, they prescribe antibiotics to treat a suspected or confirmed acute middle ear infection.

If a child is between 6 months and 2 years, they prescribe antibiotics to treat severe symptoms and a suspected or confirmed acute middle ear infection.

If the child is older than 2 years, they prescribe antibiotics to treat an ear infection if a child has severe symptoms and a confirmed acute middle ear infection.

When a child has recurrent ear infections that no longer seem to respond to antibiotic treatment, the pediatrician may refer the parents to an ears, nose and throat specialist for a surgical intervention to treat the ear infections.

Treating Ear Infections with Surgery

Maybe your child has had many middle ear infections in a relatively short time. Maybe antibiotic therapy hasn’t been very successful, despite using stronger medications each time. What happens next?

Well, in the traditional medical model, you are most likely referred to a specialist, an otolaryngologist, or ears, nose and throat doctor, who will review your child’s ear infection history and the results of any ear infection treatments to determine whether surgery (myringotomy) is needed.

A myringotomy is a surgical procedure, usually performed in an outpatient setting, in which a doctor inserts ear tubes through a small cut made in the eardrums. The purpose of these tubes is to drain fluid from the middle ear to prevent recurrence of ear infections in children.

Antibiotics are a common treatment for ear infections. However, they weaken the immune system, leaving your child susceptible to a recurrence of middle ear infections.

Obviously, there are risks involved in any surgery, especially when it includes administering general anesthesia. Also, in many cases, the tubes do not work to prevent future ear infections, or they fall out prematurely. Some children have had multiple ear tube surgeries to try to prevent the recurrence of ear infections.

All of this sounds like a far too complicated and too dangerous way to treat ear infections in your child…so what can you do?

The sponsors of ChooseNatural.com are chiropractors with many years of advanced education and training, doctors who have had amazing success helping children with chronic ear infections. Most of their pediatric patients have received round after round of antibiotic treatment for ear infections that has weakened their immune systems, leaving them susceptible for many other ear infections to develop.

Chiropractors believe that the cervical (neck) vertebrae of the spine can become misaligned during the birth process. Spinal misalignments can interrupt proper nerve function in the body, which can affect the eustachian tube and lead to the fluid buildup in the middle ear that causes otitis media.

Chiropractors are specially trained to locate and correct spinal misalignments through gentle and safe adjustments that allow the body to heal on its own, without drugs and without surgery. And, it’s effective too!

One very impressive study that appeared in the Journal of Clinical Chiropractic Pediatrics indicated that there is a strong relationship between chiropractic adjustments and relief from middle ear infections. Participants included 332 children with chronic ear infections, ranging in age from 27 days to five years. Each child received a series of chiropractic adjustments over a period of six months. The results? Within the six-month period following their initial visits, nearly 80% of the children were ear infection-free.

Treating Ear infections: Choose Natural!

When you call one of ChooseNatural.com’s sponsoring chiropractors, you will be pleasantly surprised at the treatment you’ll receive. The chiropractor whom you contact has had experience with other children just like yours, and he or she knows the frustration you feel every time your child screams in pain.

Our sponsoring chiropractors want to help your child to get and stay healthy. They are not interested in just treating the symptoms of ear infections; they look to relieve the causes of ear infections by removing any nerve interference in your child’s spine.

You can’t believe it until you see it! Listen to the testimonials of other parents who have been in your shoes. Then pick up the phone and reach out to one of our sponsors. They’ll be delighted to talk to you about the healing art of chiropractic care. And, they’ll be quick to tell you – they don’t cure anything. They simply remove interference in the nervous system to allow the body to heal, on its own.

Treating Ear Infections Before They Occur

Ear infections aren’t any fun – for you or your child. There are a number of things you can do on the prevention side to keep them from ever happening in the first place, or at least to reduce their frequency! These include:

Breastfeeding your infant to “beef” him or her up against infection by passing on your immunities; all the medical literature supports this fact!

Quit smoking; second-hand smoke irritates nasal passages and may cause the eustachian tube to work improperly.

Avoiding large daycare environments where germs roam free.

Children who are not regularly adjusted by a chiropractor may have weakened immune systems making them more susceptible to colds, which often precede ear infections.

Use saline drops to clear your child’s nasal passages.

Always feed your baby in an upright position; never “prop” your baby’s bottle – this may cause the eustachian tube to malfunction as well.

Feed your toddler lots of raw fruits and vegetables that are real immune system boosters. If breastfeeding, make sure you do the same!

Give your child Echinacea, a natural herb that comes in several forms; it also helps to boost immune system functioning.

Make sure you get your child adjusted by one of our sponsors on a routine basis to keep the central nervous system running properly by removing any interference.

These are simple suggestions that may help to decrease the likelihood of middle ear infections in your child.